#switch!sebastian

[trashyswitch]

Big Brother Vs Pool Master

Sebastian and Sam are playing a game of pool, while Abigail watches. Sebastian turns into a well-rounded teacher, while Sam turns playful when he finds out something interesting about Sebastian.

This fanfic was suggested by my special bean @foxboidrew. I hope you enjoy, my love!

Sam and Sebastian were hanging out in the Stardrop Saloon like they usually do, hanging out together in the games room in the saloon. Sam had a Joja Cola in hand, while Sebastian was sipping on one of his favorite drinks: a cranberry candy. Sam and Sebastian had their drinks on the corner of the pool table while they were playing pool against each other. Sam was stripes, Sebastian was solids. 

Sam picked up his pool table and looked at the positioning of the ball. “Hmmm…” he hummed as he looked for the closest, most convenient striped balls to knock into the holes. “Which one do I possibly go for?!” Sam asked. 

“You kinda got yourself into a challenging situation.” Sebastian admitted. “But I would highly suggest going for the striped 11.” Sebastian said. 

Sam nodded and started to aim the pool stick tip at the ball, and slowly pulled it back. “Aaaaaand-” Sam hit the ball, but realized how wrong his angle was the moment his ball hopped about a foot in the air before clunking against the pool table. Sam lowered his head down in annoyance and sighed. “I’m guessing we have to switch now?” Sam asked. 

“Technically, yes. But…” Sebastian smiled. “I’ll let you have another shot.” He said before sipping a bit more of his drink. 

Sam nodded and smiled a bit. “Thanks.” He said before focusing on the ball and the pool tip. “Bring the pool stick higher slightly, so you don’t bounce your ball again. Aim for the middle.” Sebastian told him. 

“I’m not 5, Seb. I know how to play pool. We’ve played countless times.” Sam told him. 

Sebastian put up his hands in arrest. “Alright, alright. Go for it.” Sebastian told him, silencing himself and watching. 

Sam pointed the pool stick tip at the bottom of the ball…and then reeled back the poolstick…He whacked it on the left side, knocking the pool ball to the right and knocking a solid ball into the far right hole. “YES!” Sam declared, throwing his fist in the air. 

Sebastian smiled and offered him a high five. “Not bad.” Sebastian told him. The truth was…Sam had just knocked one of Sebastian's balls into the hole, meaning Sebastian got the point without even lifting a finger. But…He still applauded his “success”. 

Sam high-fived him. “Alright. Your turn, I think.” Sam said. 

Sebastian nodded his head. Time to show Sam how it’s really done. 

Sebastian looked at where the white ball was, and smiled as he saw a somewhat challenging option that was available to him. Well…Challenging to Sam, anyway. To Sebastian? It was a piece of cake. Chocolate cake, to be specific. 

…Great…now he’s craving chocolate cake. 

Sebastian placed the pool stick tip close to the ball. “Gonna try to get a solid 5 in.” Sebastian said, pointing the pool stick at the white ball. 

“Good luck, Seb.” Sam replied, sipping his drink. 

Sebastian brought the pool stick back, and whacked the ball with the tip, sending it to the solid 5 ball on a side angle, hitting the ball over to the left, directly into the hole. 

Sam had to swallow his drink so as to not choke on it. How did he- 

“Sweet.” Sebastian said with a little smirk. Sam slowly nodded, unsure what to say. “...Okay.” He replied. “Alright.” 

Sebastian looked at Sam. “What? You got one in too.” He mentioned. “But I think I got the wrong color in.” Sam admitted. 

Sebastian chuckled. “It’s not the color of the balls that you’re supposed to keep track of…it’s the pattern on the balls.” He replied. 

Sam looked at the leftover balls on the table and slowly sighed. “So I DID get it wrong then…” Sam said. 

Sebastian had to stop himself from laughing. “No judgments here.” He told him. And he wasn’t lying. The truth was…his stupidity was often super amusing…it’s why they became such good friends. Sam would be shocked by how intelligent Sebastian was, and Sebastian would be thoroughly amused by how dumb Sam was. And thankfully, this kind of dynamic worked well for them. Sebastian walked up and poked Sam’s shoulder. “Come on, dude. It’s just a game. This game is not gonna matter in the grand scheme of things.” Sebastian told him. 

Sam sighed. “Alright…But can I watch what you do when you’re playing?” Sam asked. “Sure.” Sebastian replied as he removed the pool ball from the hole. “Go on my left side so you can see my angle.” Sebastian told him as he readied the poolstick. 

Sam nodded and stood on Sebastian’s left side, watching as Sebastian placed the ball down before angling his left arm down to the pool table and wrapped his left index finger around the lower pool stick. He placed the pool stick tip millimeters from the ball, and pulled the pool stick back. He whacked the ball and hit the solid 2 ball into the hole. 

“Wow…” Sam reacted, watching. “You made it look super easy.” 

Sebastian sat himself up and smiled as he looked at Sam. “Want to keep watching?” Sebastian asked. 

Sam nodded and followed Sebastian as he looked at all the angles. 

“Would you like me to get a ball of yours while I’m up?” Sebastian asked next. 

Sam widened his eyes. “You’d…get a point for me?” Sam asked. 

“Sure.” Sebastian replied as he placed the ball on the left side of the striped 13 ball. Sebastian got his hand stretched out and ready on the pool table, with Sam leaning against his back, watching. Sebastian’s other hand was holding the back of the poolstick, getting the angling ready. 

He pulled the pool stick back, and got ready to whack the ball with the tip of the pool stick…

But when someone (he assumed it was Sam) had grabbed his sides, Sebastian lost his concentration and paused. He tightened his middle a little bit, before quickly gaining his focus again. He whacked the ball and hit the striped ball directly into the hole. It was like Sam’s touches didn’t affect him…not even a little bit. 

“Yes!!” Sam declared, throwing his fists in the air. “Alright, my turn.” Sam grabbed his pool stick and started to look at the ball and what striped ball was closest to his white ball. 

Sebastian smiled and loosened his middle again. That was close…If Sam had noticed something about his little pause, then Sebastian might’ve been screwed. 

“Hey Sebastian…” Sam lifted his body up and leaned on the pool table. “Do you usually tense up when you’re ready to hit the ball?” Sam asked. 

Sebastian bit his inner lip a little bit, unsure whether to lie and let Sam use the same strategy…or tell the truth and create the domino effect into revealing the truth. “Uhhh…” was all he came up with while he thought. He eventually shook his head. “No. Not normally.” Sebastian replied. “It’s recommended that you calm your nerves and relax your muscles while you’re playing.” Sebastian explained. 

“But…That’s not what you did.” Sam admitted. “And you still made a perfect shot.” 

“I know…I tensed up a bit by accident…” Sebastian admitted. 

“Actually…” Sam put the pool stick down and walked up to Sebastian. “You tensed up when I touched you.” Sam gently held Sebastian’s sides. “Specifically here.” Sam added. 

Sebastian nodded his head and did everything he could to not tighten his sides this time. He hoped and prayed that if he kept his cool, this whole conversation would blow over. 

“But…Now you’re not??” Sam asked. “Wait…” He gasped and let go to cover his mouth. “Was me watching you in action, making you tense?” he asked. 

Sebastian widened his eyes. “No! God no.” He replied. Sam seriously hasn’t caught on yet?! This conversation was enough to make a man go insane! “It tickled, okay?” Sebastian spat out. “That’s all it was.” 

Sam widened his eyes and stared at Sebastian for a few minutes longer than he probably should’ve. He slowly leaned the pool stick against the pool table before poking Sebastian’s side. This simple poke was enough to make Sebastian squeak and nearly jump out of his skin. “Sam!” Sebastian frowned at him. “Don’t you dare try it.” 

Sam smiled brightly and wiggled his fingers at him. “Or else what?” He asked innocently. 

Sebastian’s frown began to soften into a nervous look as he attempted to keep his distance from Sam. “Or else I’ll hit you with my poolstick!” Sebastian warned. 

Sam laughed at his futile attempts to threaten him, and looked over at Abigail, who was sitting on the couch. “Can you believe this guy?! Threatening to harm me over a few tickles?” Sam teased, his inner brotherly side coming out. 

Abigail giggled and crossed her arms. “So rude…” She teased. “I’m rather fascinated. How ticklish is he?” She asked. 

Sam smirked and grabbed the pool stick from Sebastian’s hand, and placed it aside. “Why don’t we find out?” Sam asked as he stepped closer to Sebastian. 

“S-Sam, I’m warning you.” He attempted. “You try this, and it won’t end well for you.” Sebastian warned. 

Sam gave his side a poke. “Boop!” He reacted. 

“AAH-” Sebastian attempted to slap his hand away. “Go away!” 

Sam then moved around Sebastian and wrapped his arms around his middle, before skittering all 10 of his fingers on his belly and sides. “Gotcha!” Sam declared. 

Sebastian wheezed and doubled over, trying his hardest not to laugh right away. He was worried that if his strategies made him laugh, Sam would continue tickling him for at least another 10 minutes. And Sebastian knew this all too well, thanks to seeing how Sam acts around Vincent. “Oh! Oh! Try his armpits!” Abigail declared. 

Sebastian shook his head. “Dohon’t you d-dahahare!” He warned, accidentally letting out a few giggles.

Sam chuckled. “Alright.” Sam reacted as he lifted up Sebastian’s right hand and started tickling his right armpit. “How ticklish is-” 

Sebastian threw his head back and started letting out long fits of laughter, accidentally interrupting Sam’s question. But…his laughter was a little more higher-pitched than any of them were originally expecting. So hearing it for the first time, really threw them for a loop. 

Sam chuckled. “Well would you look at that? Mr. Gloomy Sebby has a cute little laugh.” Sam teased. 

Abigail couldn’t help the little blush that filled her cheeks, followed by the cute little smile. “I thought I’d never see the day.” Abigail admitted. 

“Shuhuhuhuhut uhuhuhup!” Sebastian shot back at them. “I’ll shut up the moment you stop laughing so adorably.” Sam teased. 

Sebastian could feel a blush of his own developing on his fair cheeks. It was kinda nice seeing some color on Sebastian’s cheeks for once. 

“Kitchy kitchy kitchy koo!” Sam teased. “Ihihi’m nohohohot aha chihild!” Sebastian argued. “I know…But it doesn’t change how fun it is to tease you.” Sam replied. 

After another couple minutes of tomfoolery, Sebastian attempted to get himself away from Sam. And though it took a bit of scrambling, Sebastian did successfully get out of his grip. “Okahahay, ohokay, okay.” He said, instinctively sitting himself down onto the sofa. “You did what you wanted to do. Now can we go back to the game?” Sebastian asked. 

Abigail smirked and cleared her throat in a more obvious fashion. Sebastian quickly widened his eyes and turned to look at Abigail. “H-Hi…” He mumbled, adjusting himself. “Can I…” He trailed off the moment he saw Abigail’s hands rise up with her fingers wiggling in almost a wicked fashion. “H…help you?” Sebastian barely managed to get out of his mouth. 

Abigail giggled and skittered her fingers all over the sides and front of his ribs. “Sure! You can help me out by showing us your pretty little laugh again.” She declared as she tweaked his ribs. 

Sebastian attempted to defend himself with his hands as he felt a wobbly smile begin to fill his face. Even when Sebastian tried to get her back, she didn’t react! “Awww Sebby…” She smirked. “I’m not very ticklish there.” She told him. 

“.....Oh.” Sebastian muttered, not sure what else to say. He could be wrong…but the way she worded it made it sound like she WAS ticklish, just not in the spot he chose at that time. 

But before he could actually turn his thoughts into actions, Abigail had moved her fingers up to his back ribs! “What about here? Are you ticklish here?” She asked. 

Sebastian arched his back and threw his head back with a long cackle! “HAHAHAhahahaha! AHAHABIHIHI NOHOHOHO!” Sebastian yelled. 

“Holy- you’re more ticklish than Sam!” She reacted. 

Sam looked over at Abigail with an offended look on his face. “Hey!” He reacted. 

“Am I wrong?” Abigail teased. 

Sam stuttered a bit before looking down, growing embarrassed. “I-I-” He huffed. “You're lying, you little…” Sam mumbled. 

Abigail laughed at his reaction. “‘You little’ what?” She asked. “GUHUHUYS PLEHEHEASE!” Sebastian yelled. 

“Why would I tell you that?!” Abigail asked. “Maybe I wanna leave you in frustrating suspense.” She teased. “IHIHIHIHI CAHAHAHAN’T-” Sebastian yelled next, struggling to get out of Abigail’s grip. 

Sam gasped. “You wouldn’t…” He reacted, clearly offended. 

“Ohoho, I most certainly wo-” She teased back, only to get distracted by tickly fingers against her armpits. “-hohoHOHOULD! NAHAHAHAHA- SEHEHEHEBBYYY!” She squealed, squeezing her arms against her sides. 

“Stohohop kihihilling mehehehe! Ihihi cohohouldn’t breheheheathe.” Sebastian told her. 

“IHI’M SOHORRY! IHI’M SOHOHOHORRYHYHYHY!” She shouted. 

“Goohood.” Sebastian stopped tickling her and waited for her to relax. When she did, Sebastian took his hands out of her armpits and rubbed away the rest of the phantom tickles that were plaguing him at the moment. 

“Yohou good, Sebby?” Abigail asked. “Yeheah. I’m good.” Sebastian replied. 

“Need help up, love birds?” Sam asked. 

Sebastian rolled his eyes, but took his hand and got up off the couch. 

“Who told you?” Abigail asked with a teasy voice, taking Sam’s hand and getting up off the couch as well. 

“Oh, you know…I’ve seen a few things.” He teased. 

Sebastian looked down and held his arm lightly while Abigail gently patted Sebastian’s shoulder. 

Feeling the embarrassment taking over, Sebastian slowly walked up to Sam and placed his chin onto Sam’s left shoulder. 

“Uh- Sebby?” Sam asked. 

Sebastian closed his eyes and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Sam’s middle. He started to close his eyes and snuggle himself into Sam’s arms, showing feelings of comfort and safety within Sam’s grasp. It was really sweet to see. 

Abigail smiled and fluffed Sebastian’s hair. “Such a cute little dork.” She teased. 

Sebastian only blushed more upon hearing Abigail’s words. “Th…Thankyou…” He mumbled. He looked over at Abigail and smiled, offering her his hand. “Wanna join?” He asked. 

Abigail smiled and took his hand, joining the hug as well. 

“Yeah! Group hug!” Sam declared, hugging them both. “Does this mean I’m welcome into ‘love bird’ territory?” Sam asked. 

Sebastian and Abigail laughed at this and nodded their heads. Of course he is! Sam will always be welcome as a third wheel. In Sebastian’s mind though…he began to secretly hope that Sam could be more than just a third wheel in the future…

If only he works up the courage to ask…

[oxygenpdf]

I yap about boy bands a lot, but take one GOOD look at this and say; “they wouldn’t make a killer album together”

title it the; ‘championship winners + Mark’

[hipsternumbertwo]

Favorite Angela Moments 18/∞: It starts with a little flame that's going really fast.

[grimmzmoth]

i did NOTTT spend a full day on this whyyy

sebastian my boy i hate you !! <3

used a random generator for a 4 COLOR PALETTE (why did i do this) so if it looks funky blame it on that

[inkspottie]

Art of Confluence I’ve done so far, figured I’d post it here

[nerd-hobbit]

So how y'all feeling

[myokk]

Eloise🥹💓

[thegirlinthecher]

[atherea]

more portrait wips

[choccy-milky]

the other day, I saw a Sebastian plushie and thought 'wouw! Choccy-Milky is so popular, there's even plushies of her stuff!'..... and then I remembered Sebastian's an official character and not just Clora's boyfriend

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO THIS IS SO FUNNY yes, good...my plan is working....

hogwarts legacy? what's that? are you feeling okay, anon? don't you mean Clora's Boyfriend™

[cohldhands]

sebastian x new farmer!reader | sfw | seb and reader meet for the first time | alcohol mention (reader orders a beer), smoking (seb has a cig), gender neutral, no other warnings unless you consider this was written on my phone as one | i miss my edgelord husband and this demanded to be written asap so here we are. i will likely expand on this bc im thinking about seb and ****** **** and i gotta get from point a to b somehow (aka the warnings will come later)

when you moved to pelican town, you anticipated the dirt and dust. the absence of city noise, the waves crashing along the shoreline in the distance, the clean air despite the one corporation in town, even the eerie moans that echo in the forest. the ache in your muscles after working the land became expected, almost satisfying; you even started to enjoy fishing.

what you didn’t expect, though, was to meet a man like sebastian.

at first, you weren’t sure he even existed. robin and demetrius mentioned having a son, though you’d only met maru, and lewis was adamant you hadn’t met everyone. the ever-elusive sebastian became a whisper on the wind, a folktale the harder you looked.

until one evening you decide to visit the saloon. you’ve been here long enough, and gus invites you to stop by every time he sees you. what harm could it be? a drink at the local saloon would be a nice way to settle more into the community.

by the time you get there, it’s packed. pam is at the bar, her eyes heavy and cheeks flushed like grenadine. shane is in one corner, willy in another. clint watches emily dance on her own to the music coming from the juke box; robin and demetrius attempt to work as one, and it’s almost endearing to watch them stumble over each other.

gus greets you like any other customer, an excited glint in his eyes at the fact you’ve finally decided to come in. you order, and once you have the cold glass in your hands, you continue to take in the bar.

it’s cozy and small-town, with rustic decor and natural accents. there’s a short hallway leading to another room on the far end of the space, and the glow of lights catches your attention. as you walk through the hallway, you realize the light is coming from arcade games, and this area is a game room. a pool table, soda machine, a small tv, and a couple chairs and tables litter the space.

looming over the pool table is someone you haven’t seen before. raven hair, almost a deep purple in the lighting, hangs over an angular face. black on black, from head to toe; slender hands donning multiple rings guide a pool stick, nonchalant focus in his dark eyes. the blinking arcade lights reflect off of black metal jewelry in his ears and on his nose, and a cigarette is pressed between his lips. he makes his shot with a swift motion of his arms and straightens up, pulling a hit off of his cigarette, smoke swirling around him and along his mouth.

as he straightens up, his eyes don’t fall on the pool table. he doesn’t watch the path of his turn, or how the ball glides along the felt material into the intended pocket. they find you instead, trailing up from your thighs to your hips to your chest and finally, your eyes.

he maintains contact as he pulls at the near-dead cigarette. his gaze is hard to read, but it’s intentional, observant, with flickers of turbulence, chaos. oceans at midnight working to learn you without a word.

“hey farmer!” sam hops up from one of the dated armchairs, a bright grin on his face and pool stick in hand. “didn’t expect to see you here. you’ve met sebastian, right?”

“no,” you shake your head and smile, a small but warm notion. you work hard to ignore the flutters in your stomach from nerves, or the heat prickling your cheeks. “I don’t believe we have.”

[haunted-vespera]

The Stardew brainrot is happening again... No thought, only Sebastian

[wanko-koko]

布団の中から出たくない （We don't wanna get out of futon）（元ネタ:YOUTUBE）

布団の中から出たMC（MC out of futon）

[livetogether--diealone]

two types of people, Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 - Motorsport Images

[hogwartslegacypics]

Extremely Wild and Delusional Headcanon That Likely Isn’t True But We Can All Pretend It Is

(tbh lowkey a shitpost)

Exhibit A: Our very first Beasts class. Do you notice who’s missing? Sebastian. One would assume that Sebastian does not have the same Beasts class because of this, which probably WAS correct. See how I said was?….

Exhibit B: Our second Beasts class (or at least the second one that we, the player, sees). Notice who is now there? SEBASTIAN! I am now headcanoning that Sebastian changed his Beasts class (or enrolled in it) so he could have it with MC. Now this is hella delulu and shitpost territory, but if we wanna speculate even further, I wonder if MC told him about The Bully Boy (AKA Leighton Lawley) Incident and Sebastian switched to be in her class to threateningly glare at Bully Boy 🤭🤭

Or, less delusional version, MC likely told Sebastian (+ Natty and Everett) how much she loves Beasts class and convinced them all to join. Which is so wholesome and cute.

[myokk]

Eloise fucking Babbit.

Her name - her full name - kept replaying in his mind over and over as he practically ran through the castle in a furious haze. The other students parted around him with ease, clearly not wanting to get in his way. It was so obvious. How had he missed it?

Why did she have to be a Babbit? Why couldn't she just have had Hubert Abbot or...or Valerius Prince as a brother instead? He thought that he could deal with her having an absolutely boring Hufflepuff or even a Gryffindor as a sibling instead of Leo Babbit.

Yes, yes. Slytherins stick together, and all that. They were supposed to show a unified front against the rest of the houses. But some people were just so insufferable that he had a difficult time remembering that one specific unspoken rule.

(But he wouldn't think about last year, now, would he?)

Seeing her next to them, the family resemblance was clear. She looked just like her brother. The same unruly hair, hazel eyes. They could be twins. But...instead of seeing those hazel eyes filled with barely controlled hatred, today they had been looking at him warmly and mischievously and with trust. Maybe that's how she had tricked him into letting his guard down around her. How she had somehow hoodwinked him into not realizing who she was.

Sebastian had always prided himself on his astute observation skills, his intuition, his quick thinking. It wasn't pride - at least that's what he told himself. (If it was pride, it was well-earned.) He didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing to be aware of his own strengths and acknowledge them. Not like those stupid Gryffindors, for example, who were extremely prideful (the bad kind) and yet falsely humble at the same time. Who preached morality and good without even thinking of nuance, who thought of themselves as above the rest just because they weren't willing to push the limits of what magic was capable of.

It didn't matter that Eloise had frozen in her tracks as soon as she'd heard her mother's voice. Or that flash of fear he'd seen in her widening eyes when she looked up at him. Or the look that she'd given him as her mother had dragged her away from him. Or the twinging feeling he'd felt in his chest at that look.

Or or or.

It didn't matter. She was a fucking Babbit and he knew what that meant. He couldn't trust her. He had even told her about Anne. Anne. Maybe it was a good thing Eloise was a Babbit, after all. He had let himself forget about his sister's curse for a small while, back when he was talking to Eloise on their walk to Hogsmeade. Never mind that it actually felt kind of nice to just talk without those thoughts lingering in the background of his mind. He needed to stay focused.

Sebastian blinked and realized he'd ended up in the Undercroft. He hadn't entered it since last term and the emotions he had felt all of last year threatened to overwhelm him. That obsession. The fear and uncertainty and urgency that shadowed every moment. He let the feelings wash over him again, using them to his advantage to push all thoughts of Eloise to the back of his mind. Yes, it was much better that she turned out to be Babbit's sister. He had almost let himself get distracted today.

He took some calming breaths and then sat down and began to scour through the books he had piled up in the Undercroft, looking for any and all mentions of shrivelfigs and taking meticulous notes.

Shrivelfigs:

Native to Abyssinia - unclear when they were first discovered due to the traditions of passing down knowledge orally

Hardy plants that can thrive in virtually any condition, including subzero temperatures (note: research growing conditions in relation to healing)

Used in the Shrinking Solution, Elixir to Induce Euphoria, Thunderbrew…

(escorting Eloise to Hogsmeade had been the most fun he'd had in ages)

Egyptians have the first recorded use of the shrivelfig in their experiments (note: not the first uses…)

They recorded its medicinal properties, which include:

Removing pain - properties in the leaves (note: unclear if truly gets rid of pain, or just the perception of pain);

When its purple juice is combined with any part of the billywig, has the property to induce euphoria;

Cannot be mixed with powdered horn of a bicorn in any way (note: examine the arithmancy charts for these two ingredients to see just why they cannot be mixed)

Egyptians first introduced the shrivelfig to the Greeks

(he hadn't even minded being bested by her in the duel)

Alizon Pendragon (note: relation to Merlin?) cursed his children and used shrivelfig properties to cure them. Unclear what else he used in these cures…(this part underlined and starred and what else…what else…)

Sebastian stopped writing and stared at his notes. His handwriting was small and precise and neat: another thing he was proud of. His parents had impressed upon him and Anne the importance of education and his mother was very strict with how they wrote. But thinking about them made his insides twist up and his heart burn so he quickly put his quill back to the paper and worked on his notes.

He really did try to be engrossed in the research. He had taken out the shrivelfig and placed it on the desk before him as he worked, as a physical reminder of what he was doing. However, as he moved on to the arithmancy charts for the shrivelfig (quite interesting, really), he found he couldn't concentrate like he normally did.

His traitorous mind kept wandering back to her.

Last night, contrary to what he had said, he hadn't really paid attention when the new student rushed in and caused a stir among the students. As was becoming a more often occurrence, he was in a terribly awful mood.

Saying goodbye to Anne for another year was almost more than he could handle. It was just another mark against him, more proof that he was a failure. Even his twin was telling him to stop stop stop trying to find a cure. That she'd accepted her fate. He should, too.

Utter bullshit.

(But really, did she think those empty words were good enough? Hadn't she known him her whole life? Was it a lack of respect that made her think he would believe her? That she actually thought he didn't know she was trying to fool him? She had been poisoned by him. Giving up because of that man's words.)

Anne tried telling him that she'd accepted her fate. That she could see how his newest obsession was slowly ruining his life. And wasn't it horribly unfair that as she was slowly wasting away, that he, the perfectly healthy twin, was doing it to himself, too? Of his own volition?

Obsession. What a funny word. When Sebastian was younger, it was a word used fondly amongst his family. For his whole life, there had always been something. Something that would keep him occupied and have his interest. As a child, he remembered when it was the magical creatures living around their hamlet. One summer, when he and Anne were eight, they had spend days on end staking out a bowtruckle nest in the little copse next to their house.

Their parents had been charmed by their nightly updates, and had bought them books on magical creatures and empty notebooks to jot down their observations and draw. Every night, they would gather around the notebooks and he would watch in wonder as his father pulled out his wand to enchant the drawings to move and -

(No. He had already told himself that thoughts of them were off limits.)

He had truly noticed the new student when she was already sitting on the stool with the sorting hat on her head. Ominis would later tell him that she had caused quite the entrance. (He wouldn't know, stewing in his own fury and disgusting self-pity as he had been). The Great Hall was completely silent, everyone watching the spectacle that was a new fifth-year be sorted.

She sat there for five minutes.

Nobody sat there for five minutes.

When they hat finally shouted out "SLYTHERIN!" nobody clapped. Whispers everywhere. They all stared at her - had her name even been mentioned?

And Imelda, of course it was Imelda, had called her over because of course she couldn't sit with the first-years. Maybe in a different year at a different time, Sebastian would have been the one to notice and call her over. He had always been good at that sort of thing. Before. The girl was one of them now, after all. Slytherins stick together and whatnot.

The girl - Eloise - was quiet at the dinner table, seemingly more content to listen than to speak. Sebastian could just tell that she was hiding something.

Ominis had given him a look (how did he even do it?) and Sebastian had tried to make an effort. Although he couldn't have remembered what he said that night even if he were being threatened at the end of someone's wand. He did remember reminding her to eat, as lost as she was in her thoughts. What was making her so melancholy?

Ominis and Anne, working together to try and restore Sebastian back to the boy he had been before.

Everything was supposed to be normal.

Except, it wasn't.

Still, Sebastian was content to play the role assigned to him, content to try and make this a good year. He knew it was futile and when that bitch Victoria just had to go and mention Anne...well. Sebastian wasn't stupid. He could feel the limits of his patience beginning to crack and wasn't it better to just get up and leave rather than stay and curse her?

All in all, he thought he had done just fine for the first night of the second year without Anne.

Sebastian blinked blearily at his notes. He had been working on the shrivelfig arithmancy charts - maybe there would be useful information for him to be found in them. He was doing the advanced charts - that included more precise measurements and more complicated methodology. NEWT level. Sebastian had always had a head for numbers, though. He supposed that they were another of his obsessions.

Calm nights, crickets chirping, a floating candle behind them as Sebastian and his mother worked through arithmatic equations. The smell of bread baking, the click of knitting needles making sweaters. He was always very curious as a child, and his mother very patient with him and his endless questions. She would give him equations to work on while she was at school teaching, and every night they would work through the problems together.

(No. Focus on the arithmancy).

Numbers were comforting. As was dueling. With both, he had complete control and knew what the outcome would be. He wasn't the best duelist in their year without reason. Maybe he was strange (definitely), but he loved the comfort and rhythm of a good duel. It always followed a certain pattern, a code of conduct.

That was the second time he saw her and the first time he truly noticed her. Eloise.

For some unfathomable reason, Professor Hecat had put Sebastian against the new girl. He, the best duelist in their year, possibly the school, against a girl whose was gripping her second-hand wand so tightly her knuckles were white. She seemed nervous, but of course he said that he wanted to give her a proper Hogwarts welcome and god why had he even said that, but he had to stick to his word and so he sent out a hex towards her as soon as he heard Professor Hecat say they could start. Maybe it would be better the quicker she was defeated.

But she blocked his attack and gave as good as she got.

He hadn't felt so thrilled in a long time. Maybe not in over a year. Maybe not ever. As they fought, the rest of the students faded into the background and it was just the two of them. A brilliant game of cat and mouse...but who was which was the question that needed answering. Staring into her unfathomable hazel eyes (how had he not recognized them?) and answering and responding to every jinx and hex they hurled at each other. It was exhilarating.

In the end, Eloise beat him using an underhanded trick. Maybe if Sebastian had been a Gryffindor he would have called foul and demanded a rematch but he was a Slytherin and couldn't help but admire her for it. Truth be told, he almost wished that he was the one who had thought of it, but he had been enjoying their duel so much that even if he had thought of it he wouldn't have done it.

When she smirked up at him and said, "Slytherin," his stomach did a weird little flip and he felt his face flush. He needed to get to know this girl better. How had she learned to duel like that?

(Of course, now he knew the answer. With a family like that...it was a wonder she even knew how to smile. Or pretend warmth).

Like a stupid little puppy, he followed her after the class, desperate to keep talking to her. Even inviting her to be his guest at Crossed Wands. But every smile Eloise directed at him made him feel warm and she was like the sun and he thought that maybe if they fought together or even against each other again, maybe he could figure out what it was that was so mesmerizing to him.

In the library after that class, he had kept replaying their interactions with each other, not being able to help the stupid smile that grew on his face. Even letting his guard down, and not noticing when Madam Scribner started walking over. He supposed that he was being suspiciously quiet, and she did have good cause to be suspicious of him as he had forgotten to charm the cover of the book he had opened to something more innocuous.

But, miraculously, he had been saved by Eloise and yes, maybe he had been a little theatrical with his escape. Sebastian couldn't explain why, but just seeing her again and waiting for him and knowing that she had chosen him had made him smile despite himself, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to grab her hand as they escaped together.

She was more intriguing the longer they talked, not least because she could also see thestrals. When she opened up to him about the dragon attack (in hindsight just a tactic to get to him no doubt) he felt a surge of protection previously only felt towards Anne.

When she had fallen into the crates after being hit by the troll he couldn't help the emotions that were twisting up his insides and making his heart start beating at an insane pace. Had she been killed? Oh god please - He was worthless. He had failed her.

But then - faster than his mind could even comprehend - she had somehow gotten up and before he could reach her the troll had been completely and utterly destroyed. He couldn't help but be in awe of her power - this girl who didn't look intimidating and who seemed so unsure of herself until she was fighting - but then she was shaking and hunched over in pain and what could he do? Another reminder of his failure to protect Anne - no, Eloise - and those fucking aurors were nowhere in sight.

(Had she ended up going to the Hospital Wing? He hoped so.)

Ominis found him that night still in the Undercroft. The candle floating behind Sebastian had almost completely extinguished, and the long shadows flickering through the huge open space gave it an ominous feeling. He had started analyzing the meticulous notes he had taken to look for something, anything that could help his sister. His friend slowly made his way forward, guided by his wand, and put his hand on Sebastian's shoulder.

"Sebastian? I heard about the troll attack. Are you fine?"

Sebastian looked up to Ominis, relieved that his friend couldn't see the desperation in his face. He hated himself for not being able to keep it out of his voice, though. "Did you know?"

Ominis sighed. "I think there is more to her than meets the eye. I know -"

"Stop." Sebastian hated how strangled his voice sounded. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and cast a tempus charm to check the time. It was much later than he had thought, and Ominis had probably come to accompany him back to the Slytherin dungeons before he could get detention for breaking curfew.

He didn't bother tidying up the desk before getting up and following Ominis out of the Undercroft. Sebastian couldn't be mad at the other boy - he knew him too well, and knew that Ominis had kept the information to himself for some strange reason known only to him.

That night, Sebastian dreamt of chasing after something just out of his reach and the sound of crickets and the smell of baked bread and remembered nothing when he woke up.

He had always been an early riser. Even after many late-night forays into the restricted section of the library the year before, he had never had the ability to sleep in. Maybe he could head to the Great Hall early - eating breakfast alone was his favorite start to the day.

Walking up the stairs leading out of the boys' dormitories, he saw that the main fire in the common room had already been lit. And - she was sitting by the fire, curled up with a huge stack of books by her side. Sebastian froze - why did she have to be awake right now? Eloise was leaning against the arm of the sofa, her cheek resting in her hand as she read the huge tome in her lap. Her brow was furrowed in concentration. It was her pink lips that his eyes went to, though, her teeth biting the lower one as her eyes moved across the page.

He hated that he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

He told himself that it was just because he was curious about what she was reading, especially after their conversation the day before.

As Sebastian approached, she sighed dramatically and shoved the book in her lap to the side. She rubbed her eyes and grabbed the next book from the stack next to her.

"I'm assuming that isn't one of the interesting books we talked about yesterday."

"Sebastian! What are you doing up already?"

"I could say the same to you," he replied, sitting down next to her and nonchalantly grabbing the book she had just discarded. He made a sound of disgust as he flipped through the pages, stopping at one in the middle. "'A good hostess is always aware of what is being said at her party; no topic of absorbing interest must be admitted to polite conversation.' What is this dribble?"

Eloise snatched the book away from him, a deep flush sweeping over her cheeks. (The flush was not bringing out the green in her eyes and he did not notice it). "For your information, that book was lying there because I found it completely and utterly boring and it's hard enough staying awake right now as it is. This one isn't much better, though." She sighed and threw the book she had just opened, A Wizarding Society's Guide to the Pureblood Customs, to the side. "My mother's making me read all of these so that I can have a smooth introduction to society."

"Ah yes, you're a Babbit," he said, sitting back and putting his hands behind his head. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth just as he couldn't stop the bitterness seeping into every word. (She deserved it, after all, for tricking him). "Ominis told me last night that he'd known all along." He shook his head. "Why he didn't think to tell me before we had our little adventure yesterday, I'll never know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Eloise angrily. Her hair was starting to escape her braid and puff up around her head. He vaguely thought about how she had obliterated the troll yesterday and maybe it wasn't a good idea to provoke her but instead of being silent he just had to keep speaking. Because he was angry. Because he felt betrayed. Which was completely ridiculous because he barely knew this girl.

"It means," he retorted, "that had I known, I wouldn't have let you get under my skin. I would never risk my life for a Babbit."

Eloise looked so shocked by his confession that she didn't say a single word in defense of herself. He saw her start blinking furiously and her breathing became shallow. (Was he wrong about the situation?)

(He couldn't stop talking.)

"And now," he continued, "I understand why you beat me yesterday in our duel. You've probably spent your whole life practicing."

Eloise stood up quickly and furiously and looked down at him. Her words came out in an angry hiss.

"For your information, I never wanted anything to do with my family. They thought I was a squib and until a few days ago, I was at a muggle finishing school, being prepared to be married off to the most advantageous buyer. I was burned off my family tree when I was eleven. The shameful secret that nobody outside of my family had ever heard of until now. And now, they come back, expecting me to fulfill their image of the perfect daughter." She spat out those last words. (Maybe he had been wrong). "So no, I never practiced dueling because I've spent the last five years living with muggles. I spent my whole life in shame because I never had magic. And now that I finally have everything I wished for my whole life, Ranrok is trying to murder me and has already almost been successful twice. I don't know what sort of problem you have with my family but I assure you that I have no part in it whatsoever. Haven't you learned yet that I'm not to be judged by your faulty assumptions, based on small pieces of the whole picture?"

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed up the spiral staircase, leaving the Slytherin common room and an awestruck Sebastian in her wake.

Sebastian really hates Eloise!!!!!!!

Chapter 7 of my fic, where you get to see his first impressions of her😇😇😇😇😇😇😇